WWE 205 Live 02 06 2018

On the latest episode of WWE 205 Live, NXT Superstar Roderick Strong picked up a shocking victory against Hideo Itami in the first round of the WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament. Plus, Kalisto and Lince Dorado collided in a first-round battle.

Kalisto def. Lince Dorado

Despite sharing a close bond with Lince Dorado as lucha brothers, Kalisto would not let friendship get in the way of his opportunity to reclaim the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Before the match got underway, The King of Flight and The Golden Lynx shook hands in a show of sportsmanship before tensely looking up at the WrestleMania sign.

Kalisto managed to gain an advantage as Dorado retreated to the outside of the ring, and The King of Flight followed with a high-impact dive. However, momentum soon shifted, and The Golden Lynx reciprocated with a flip over the ropes on top of his opponent, much to the delight of the WWE Universe.

In control of the contest – and looking at the WWE Cruiserweight Championship on display at ringside, The Golden Lynx grew more aggressive and kept his lucha brother on the defensive. Kalisto did his best to battle back, but he was stopped in his tracks by an incredible super-hurricanrana.

The incredible maneuver took as much out of Dorado as it did Kalisto, and the two luchadors began exchanging hard-hitting blows. The drive of both competitors was on display, especially when Lince grabbed the ropes to stop a three-count after receiving a Salida del Sol.

The battle continued with The Golden Lynx taking advantage of his own survival and hitting the Shooting Star Press. Unfortunately for Dorado, Kalisto rolled out of the ring to regain his bearings and returned to the action. Catching his opponent with an incredible springboard reverse hurricanrana, Kalisto executed the Salida del Sol for a second time to secure the win.

Through the WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament, WWE 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick is ensuring the highest level of competition the division has to offer, as the next two first-round matches were announced on WWE 205 Live.

Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Akira Tozawa will battle U.K. Championship Tournament contender Mark Andrews in what is sure to be a fast-paced contest. Andrews made his first WWE 205 Live appearance last year when he teamed up with Cedric Alexander to defeat Joseph Connors and James Drake. The U.K. Championship Tournament semifinalist faces a daunting but huge opportunity against The Stamina Monster.

After being confronted by Drake Maverick about the trajectory of their respective careers, friends and frequent tag team partners Drew Gulak and Tony Nese were informed that, as part of the changes underway on WWE 205 Live, the two would face each other in a first-round contest of the WWE Cruiserweight Championship tournament next week.

Looking for the opportunity to compete at WrestleMania for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, NXT Superstar Roderick Strong stepped up to take on Hideo Itami in the first round of the WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament. Both Superstars have battled all over the world – including against each other – but now the stakes were higher than ever.

As the contest got underway, both Itami and Strong showed off their technical prowess to a stalemate, each looking for the right opening to mount a full-fledged offense. Strong eventually took control and unleashed stinging strikes across Itami’s chest, but the Japanese Superstar soon turned the tables. First unleashing a series of high-powered kicks, Itami struck with a diving leg drop from the top.

However, as Itami unleashed aggressive strikes, Strong displayed his resilience and his ability to adapt and innovate to shift the tide.

The two continued to strike back and forth with a mix of agile moves and hard-hitting blows. Battling to the outside, the two again threw punches and elbows before Strong incredibly picked up his opponent and threw him back-first into the ring apron.

Knowing the stakes, Strong and Itami remained unrelenting – Itami even executing a super Falcon Arrow, but to no avail as Strong kicked out of the pinfall.

Just as Itami thought he was about to put his opponent down for good, Strong countered, executing a jumping high knee before securing a hard-fought victory and advancing in the tournament with the End of Heartache.